The Chamonix Valley skiing opportunity is vast, with something for everyone, allowing all to experience the high mountains at their best, giving ski holidays in France a great reputation for the best ski and snowboard experience. Here is a summary of the areas to help you answer the question where do I go skiing today, when there so much to choose from . All ski areas are linked by the free ski bus that runs daily up and down the valley passing through Chamonix.
Le Tour
At the top of the Chamonix Valley is Domaine de Balme, where the ski area Le Tour (2270m)can be found after a 20 minute free bus journey from Chamonix. This is the gentlest of the Chamonix Valley ski areas where pistes tend to be wide blues or easy reds, there are 22 easy and intermediate runs. The area is perfect for learning to ski and for getting ski legs back into action before taking on harder runs elsewhere in the valley. This area is also perfect for beginner snowboarders to practice turns in a quieter open area. This area tends to be the quietest of the Chamonix Valley as most skiers and snowboarders rush to the Grand Montets.
Although Le Tour is the least steep area, it does have some of the best Chamonix Valley off-piste and excellent powder when most of the obvious places are tracked out. This makes for a great place to get a feel for powder skiing in preparation for off-piste Chamonix.
Le Tour is warm and sunny when the weather is good and has lovely views of the Le Tour glacier. With easy quiet access to the slopes and a quiet ski area, this is a great ski area for the family, les experienced groups and also to enjoy a sunny picnic at lunch time. A great place to start your ski week or ski weekend.
Grand Montets
This Grand Montets ski area (3275m)is situated above the village of Argentière, 10 minutes up the Chamonix Valley from Chamonix town. Les Grands Montets is always the first ski area in the valley to open and the last to close, due to its high altitude and is the largest of the pisted skiing areas in the Chamonix Valley. It is the number of combinations of possible descents on and off piste combined with a reputation for offering some of the hardest pistes in Europe, which makes Les Grands Montets is a favourite with good intermediate and expert skiers and snowboarders in the Chamonix Valley. The steep slopes are wide so they can be attempted by daring progressive beginners. Most of the area is above the tree line with large expanses of open terrain, the need to wrap up is often required, especially in the morning. Les Grand Montets is generally the least sunny of all the Chamonix Valley ski areas but this does mean that conditions are often well-preserved till May ensuring an exciting Easter skiing holidays.
The Grand Montets cable car to the very top of the mountain can only be accessed if you have purchased a Mont Blanc unlimited ski pass, or you have paid the additional fee to take this lift. On busy days you are given an allocated time to ride to the top, allowing you to enjoy the rest of the mountain rather than queuing. At the top there are a couple of pistes that are definitely worth skiing, with excellent snow conditions and great views. These runs are marked on the piste map and controlled by the local ‘Security de Pistes’ however they are not groomed and therefore require a good technical standard of skiing. The morning is the best time to ride to the top of the mountain as the light reflecting off the séracs is impressive. This challenging area is sure to create smiles of joy for any ski weekender looking for the best of the difficult runs on a European ski break.
For beginners the bottom of the Grand Montets next to the car park has several nursery slopes with a cafe whose sun terrace is lovely in the afternoon. A great place for a group to meet at the end of the day due to it being at the end of the red run down from the Grand Montets, the Gondola down and meets with the nursery slopes. As it’s the highest altitude of all the lower valley slopes the snow is normally good to the beginning of April in this beginners area.
Brevent & Flegere
Le Brevent and La Flegere (2525m) is on the sunny south side of the Chamonix Valley and are the closest skiing areas to Chamonix’s main town centre. The Brevent lift can be walked to from Chamonix town centre. All skiers and snowboarders will find something to like with a host of moderate, challenging and difficult runs, ideal for intermediates and advanced skiers. For years these two areas were separate until the lift systems linked in 1997 with the Liaison cable car forming one larger area. The Chamonix Valley offers a vast amount of fantastic off-piste and the whole area is one giant natural fun park. La Flegere is known locally as having some of the best natural terrain for freestyle.
For progressing beginners the Trappe chairlift at Flegere serves a gentle green run it is the next step up for those after their first couple of days. This run is longer than the ones in the valley and being just at the top of the tree line has some impressive views across the valley to Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi.
The blue runs Vioz and Blanchots at Le Brevent served by the are good for those able to link turns and who need more of a challenge. Le Brevent has the highest altitude green run with Piste 2000 but this is accessed by a blue run first. Due to the height of this run it will hold the snow till the end of April, guaranteeing easter skiing.
Brevent and Flegere is a great local area for a mixed group to ski on all day in the sun. Quick access from Chamonix town centre makes it a favourite on day one of a ski weekend to get on the slopes as quickly as possible. The area is well connected with chairlifts and gondolas making it well connected terrain for snowboarders.
Les Houches
Les Houches (1900m) is another great area for mixed ability groups, as the slopes at the top of the mountain range from green nursery slopes right through to the famous “Verte” black run used in the Kandahar World Cup skiing in January. Les Houches is 6 km down the valley from Chamonix town and can be accessed using the free ski bus. The skiing combines long descents through pretty tree-lined slopes, with fabulous views of the Mont Blanc massif and the Chamonix Valley. In this area you’ll find the best mountain cafes and restaurants in the Chamonix valley, offering traditional French food rather than the fast self service food.
Although the runs are long, wide and easy to navigate in poor visibility due to them being tree lined, it does still have quite a few draglifts. This is something snowboarders need to be aware of as some of the pulls are quite long. The area is not the highest in the Chamonix Valley, and does suffer when the weather warms up. However in the middle of winter its a great place for a group to enjoy a day on the mountain and for intermediates to really open up down the long runs. Les Houches ski area is not covered by the Cham Pass ski pass, but can be accessed using the Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass. During a ski week with right snow conditions, Les Houches is definitely worth a trip as it has a different feel to the rest of the Chamonix Valley.
Beginners in Les Houches are well catered for at the bottom and top of the mountain, ensuring skiing for all if the lower slopes are a bare.
Beginners skiing Chamonix: There are lots of beginners’ slopes in Chamonix in separate small ski areas, throughout the bottom of the valley. As a complete beginner, rather than buying a full lift pass, which covers the whole Chamonix ski area, it’s cheaper to buy either a full or half day pass for each individual beginners’ area. After a few days you can then buy the appropriate lift pass to progress up to La Tour, the top of Les Houches or Brevent & Flegere.